Category: backpacking

The Prep: Any overnight backpacking in Yosemite National Park requires a Wilderness Permit. I called a week in advance and was lucky to get a permit. You can book your permit in advance or there are some permits available on a first come, first serve basis at the Wilderness Center in the park.

The Gear: You’ll need all the Camping Essentials PLUS a bear cache- this is mandatory in Yosemite National Park and can be rented at any Wilderness center for roughly $5/week with a $95 deposit.

The Execution:

We arrived at Yosemite National Park by car the day before we planned to hike 10 Lakes Basin and paid the entrance fee at the gate. We then drove to the Tuolumne Meadows Wilderness Center to obtain our permit that we had reserved the week prior. While we were at the Wilderness Center, we rented a bear cache for $5 for the week with a $95 deposit. With permit and cache in hand, we headed to the Tuolumne Meadows campground.

The Yosemite Wilderness Permit allows you to camp at the Backpackers Camps in the park 1 night prior to your trip and 1 night after your trip. So we parked in the 15 minute loading zone and walked our gear up to the backpackers section where we chose a site, set up our tent and paid the $6/person fee (cash only) in the envelope provided. We then drove our car down the road to an area the ranger suggested we could park for the evening.

The next morning as we were packing our gear, we were struggling to find a way to carry the bear cache. The container is rather large at 12 in. long and 8in. diameter and weighs roughly 3 lbs empty. After several attempts at trying to put the cache IN our packs, we decided to strap it on the bottom of one of our packs as it was the most comfortable option.

We drove down to the 10 Lakes Basin trailhead and parked across the street at Yosemite Creek. Here we were able to use the restroom and store our extra food in the bear lockers provided. Once we were geared up, we walked across the street and started our trek out to 10 Lakes Basin.

The beginning of the trail is a slight uphill with a rocky base that continues up beautiful slabs of granite, exposed to the sun and elements. I had a bit of trouble adjusting to the elevation and heavy pack as we started the small uphill climb. As we crossed the slabs of granite, we realized that the trail was not marked. If we were to wander off the trail for any reason, it could be difficult to find the trail again and we could easily get lost. We decided to stick to the path to avoid getting lost and continued on until we were in a dense forest full of evergreens. The rocky trail transformed to soft, pine needle covered forest floor as it leveled off and we cooled down under the shade of the giant trees.

The 6+ miles from the trailhead to the basin is a gradual uphill climb for most of the trail. We passed a beautiful open meadow and then began a steeper climb up to the 9,600 feet peak going back and forth up the rocky switchbacks until we reached a beautiful flower filled meadow. We stopped for a snack as we watched some deer grazing through the meadow before we continued our journey. The final haul to the basin was a steep descent down more winding switch backs as we made our way down to the lakes once again finding ourselves covered by a blanket of trees.

We passed a few fellow hikers as we scoped out the best spot to pitch our tent. We found a cozy little area right near the water as the thunder started rolling through the area. We were luckily able to get our tent up and packs inside before the rain started. After a quick rain shower, we explored the area and searched for some fire wood for the evening as we gotten eaten alive by the massive amounts of mosquitos buzzing round. After a swim in the lake, we spent the night warming ourselves by the fire and admiring the epic beauty of the night sky. We found a spot for our bear cache safely away from our tent and had a peaceful nights rest in our secluded lakeside retreat.

We rose with the sun the next morning, ate some breakfast and filtered some water from the stream to fill our camelbaks for the journey back. I was dreading the climb up those switchbacks at to get back to the meadow, but we took our time and it ended up being not as bad as I had been imagining all morning! Once we made it to the meadow at the top of the hill, the rest of the hike back to the car was a breeze. Downhill and mostly shaded, we were able to make the trek back to the trailhead at record pace.

Tired, sweaty and dirty on arrival to our car, we were yearning for rest and a shower! We hopped in the car and took a drive down to Yosemite Valley where we would spend the night at another backpackers camp.

We headed over to North Pines campground where we again parked at the 15 minute loading zone while we hauled our gear over the footbridge to the backpackers camp. We staked out a spot and dropped our $12 into the envelope for the evening. We then took our car over to Half Dome Village where it would stay for the evening. After a bit of food at Half Dome Village, we were feeling refreshed and decided to take a quick hike to Mirror Lake.

From the backpackers camp, it was a quick one mile, leisurely walk to Mirror Lake. The weather was much hotter in the Valley (87 F compared to 70 F near Tuolumne) and we were eager for a swim in the lake. The water was frigid, but it felt amazing after a few days of hiking. After we cooled off in the lake with a beautiful view of Half Dome, we braved the mosquitos and walked the one mile back to camp. Exhausted, we had a short fire and something to eat before going to sleep for the evening.

We woke early to get a head start out to our hike for the day. We packed our things and dropped our packs off at the car at Half Dome Village. We packed a quick day pack with some water and snacks and grabbed the free Yosemite Vally shuttle at Half Dome Village and took it two stops to Mist Trail.

We decided to the 7+ mile round trip trail up to Nevada falls and back down the JMT (John Muir Trail). The hike up to Nevada falls was steep and at points treacherous. The water coming off Vernal Falls made the rocky stairs and trail quite wet and slippery. I guess there’s a reason they call it Mist Trail! Although we started on the early side (roughly 8am) the trail was quite crowded already. Luckily, as we got further up the trail towards Nevada falls, the trail got steeper and the people became fewer.

We stopped several times to admire the beauty of the falls and the massive amounts of water rushing down the granite faces. Once at the top, we took a quick break to have a snack and enjoy the view before heading down John Muir Trail back to the trail head. The JMT on the way down was much easier on the knees as the trail was mostly dirt instead of rock and switchbacks instead of stairs. The views were not as great as they were the way up the steep side of the trail, but if you have knee problems, I would definitely suggest taking the JMT up and down as it is less strenuous.

As we returned to the trailhead, we noticed that there were a ton of folks just beginning the hike and it was way more crowded than it was in the morning. We were thankful we started so early in the day and were able to avoid most of the crowds.

The Highlights:

Level of difficulty: Moderate to Strenuous

Ensure you have a wilderness permit if you plan to camp in the backcountry.

All food and scented items are required to be kept in a bear locker or bear cache overnight.

Weather varies greatly from the valley to other parts of the park. Make sure to pack accordingly.

Some trails are not marked well. It’s a good idea to have a map and compass with you at all times.

The only place with cellular reception in the park is Yosemite Valley. Otherwise you will likely not have cell service.

Be sure to fill your car with gas before entering the park. There is a gas station in the valley, but it is extremely overpriced.

There is a grocery store and restaurant in the valley, but otherwise there are not many food options in other parts of the park.

A water filter is necessary if you plan on camping in the backcountry.

We flew into Bergen and immediately picked up our rental car and started our drive to Stavanger. The drive took a little over 4 hours and included two ferry rides. Exhausted, we arrived at our Airbnb in Stavanger and got a good night’s rest before we started our adventures.

Day 2: Hike Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock)

We stopped at the grocery store before heading out on the hour and a half drive to Preikestolen. This drive included one ferry ride. We paid for parking, used the restroom and filled up our camelbaks before starting out on the 2-4 hour hike.

This hike can definitely be done in under 4 hours, but the views are exceptional and we spent a lot of time hanging out and enjoying the scenery.

Tired, we started our four and a half hour drive towards Trolltunga. It had started to rain so we stopped and set up our tent under a small shelter and spent the night.

Day 4: Hike Trolltunga

In the morning, we continued our drive to Trolltunga and stopped in the town of Odda to get a bite to eat before beginning the hike. Once our bellies were full, we drove to the trail head and prepared our packs.

The hike to Trolltunga took us roughly 6 hours. We arrived around dusk, set up our tent for the night and enjoyed the evening with an incredible view.

The next day, we explored more of Trolltunga and hiked the 4 hours back down to the parking lot.

When we arrived back at our car, we were so excited to remove our shoes and packs! We took a few minutes to stretch and relax before we started our hour and a half drive to Voss where we would camp for the evening.

Day 6: Kayak Gudvangen

We woke up early in Voss, grabbed breakfast and drove a quick 40 minutes to Gudvangen. A beautiful, sunny day, we rented a double Kayak at Nordic Ventures. There are also Kayak tours you can take here, but we decided to rent a kayak and explore on our own. They offer full day and half-day rentals and we opted for the full day so we could take our time and enjoy.

Nordic Ventures supplied everything we needed: kayak and paddle, skirt, wet-suit, booties, waterproof jacket, life vest and dry bags. We packed a lunch and began paddling out into the fjord. We passed a few other kayakers and lots of tourist boats. The water was calm and the view was breathtaking. We stopped off to explore a waterfall and dip our toes in the freezing glacial water.

We paddled a bit further and stopped for lunch on a small, lush, green, sun drenched pasture. We ate our lunch while lambs roamed around us with the serene sound of waterfalls in the distance. We even took a swim in the fjord and laid on the shore to dry in the sun. I could have stayed here forever, but we had to get the kayaks back by 5:30pm so we geared up and started our paddle back to shore.

Our arms were quite tired on the way back so we took our time and enjoyed the scenery and the lovely weather. We made it back just in time for closing, returned our gear and began the five and a half hour drive to Hoddevik. We were very tired so we stopped on our way at the town of Lem and camped for the evening.

Day 7: Surf at Hoddevik

Day 7 started out with a stop at Bøyabreen Glacier, Fjærland. Here we found a lot of tour buses so we didn’t stay too long, but it was an amazing spot to view the glacier. The water in the lake below was an incredible shade of blue with small ice chunks casually floating by. We could feel an icy chill coming from the glacier above as we marveled at the large, blue ice sheet. There was also a restaurant and restrooms here where many of the tour buses stopped for lunch.

After our glacier stop, we continued the drive to Hoddevik. It started to rain, but it didn’t stop us from hitting the surf. Hoddevik is a very small town so it wasn’t hard to find the board rental shop right by the beach. We rented boards and suits and hit the waves. While the waves weren’t huge, they were consistent and there were very few surfers competing for waves.

After a few hours of surf, we headed to nearby Ervik. There are also surfable waves in Ervik, but we came here on a suggestion from a local to check out the old Nazi tunnels in the mountain. We hiked across the beach and up a cliff, through a gate and finally reached the entrance to the tunnel. There were two paths in the tunnel. The path to the right led us to an amazing view of the ocean where the path to the left let us to some old broken stairs up to a small house out on the cliff. This was definitely an off the beaten path stop, we were the only people around and were able to enjoy a nice quiet hike with only sheep as our company and the sound of waves crashing as our soundtrack.

After our hike, we began the three and a half hour drive towards Geiranger, but stopped about an hour in and found a spot to camp for the evening.

Day 8: Hike in Brunstad (or go to Geiranger)

The next day we had planned on heading to Geiranger, but the weather was fierce so we decided to take a detour and spend the day in nearby Brunstad. We got an amazing Airbnb with a wood burning stove and incredible view.

We took a VERY rainy hike up to a nearby Norse village. The old farming village was like a time warp, sending us back to the days when farmers would bring their livestock to this tiny village for summering. We decided to continue up the mountain hoping to reach a lake we had heard of, but after about an hour of hiking in the pouring down rain, we decided to call it a day and head back down.

We were soaked and muddy and happy we had a nice warm cabin to go home to and dry off. We got an amazing night of rest and were sad we had to leave our quiet little village the next day.

The touristy thing to do here would definitely be to go to Geirangerfjord, but we really love immersing ourselves in the local culture and enjoyed our time away from the tourist crowds and exploring Norway off the beaten path.

Day 9: Drive towards Bergen

The next day we began the six and a half hour drive towards Bergen. We stopped multiple times to veer off course, take small side roads and explore anything and everything that seemed interesting and beautiful.

After a day of admiring our surroundings, we had a nice dinner at Stryn Hotel and found a campsite near by for the evening.

Day 10: Hike in Bergen

On our final day, we finished our drive and spent the day in Bergen. We checked into our Airbnb not far outside of town and took a local bus to Stoltzekleiven. We hiked the 722 stairs up to Sandviksfjellet and the view was well worth the effort.

After enjoying the bird’s eye view of Bergen, we hiked back towards a small lake. Here we were met with multiple hiking trails. We were surprised there were so many hiking trails right in the heart of the city.

We took a trail from the lake all the way down to the city center. We passed several other trail heads and even some backpackers heading out for a night of camping.

We treated ourselves to a delicious dinner at Bare Vestland and explored the city for the evening before returning to our Airbnb and packing up to fly out the next morning.

Day 11: Fly home

Goodbye, Norway! Leaving Norway was really hard. The entire trip was beautiful and breathtaking with something to wow at after every turn. I’m already starting to plan my trip to return!

Norway Travel Tips:

There is a very cool law in Norway that says you can camp just about anywhere. We took advantage of this to save a lot of money on our trip.

Norway is expensive, plan accordingly. For reference, gas was about $7USD/gallon and a meal at the gas station was about $30USD.

Grocery stores are closed on Sundays, make sure you stock up beforehand.

If driving, you will be taking quite a few ferries. Check schedules beforehand.

Tolls and ferry rides are also expensive, make sure to factor this into your budget.

Most gas stations did not take our US credit cards at the pumps which made getting gas difficult after hours. Make sure you fill up while stations are still open.

We used our US credit cards everywhere and rarely needed local currency.

If you haven’t used Airbnb before, it’s a wonderful, cheaper alternative to hotels. If you’re new to Airbnb, get a free travel credit here!

The Execution: We started off down Pine Ridge Trail toward Ventana, passing a rather loud campsite at Pfeiffer Big Sur. The sign states that there is no camping before Ventana and there really was NO camping before Ventana. The trail is rather narrow and cut into the side of the mountain… so there really is nowhere to camp before you reach Ventana camp.

The trail out was mostly uphill with small stretches of downhill to flat. We were met with sweeping views of the valley and higher mountains surrounding us with giant redwoods stretching low from the valley to high above our heads. The fog from the coast rolled in through the mountain peaks keeping us cool and shaded on our hike and the sound of rushing water from the stream in the valley below provided our soundtrack.

After plenty of steep uphill hiking, we reached a sign for Ventana camp, just one more mile away.

We were now sent all the way down to the valley through a series of switchbacks winding down the mountain. When we finally reached the bottom, we were greeted by groups of campers dotted around the valley on both sides of the stream. Although it was a holiday weekend, there were not as many campers here as we had anticipated. We found a nice little clearing away from the water and set up camp for the night.

We built a small fire, ate some dinner and listened to the sound of the rushing water as we sat under the stars.

The next morning, we got an early start to tackle the switchbacks up the mountain. We were dreading these switchbacks all night, but they weren’t nearly as bad as we had anticipated. We knew if we made it through the switchbacks, the rest of the trail would be mostly downhill and easier than the previous day on our hike out.

We had a gorgeous, cool morning for our 5 mile hike back to the ranger station as we enjoyed the fresh air and beautiful redwoods surrounding us. We’re looking forward to returning to this area and doing a longer hike next time!